Wednesday, 13 June 2012

In India we have a talent for highlighting our weaknesses and
suppressing out strength. And what is our strength? To my mind our biggest
strength has to be that we are a young nation. There are millions of young
minds out there crying out for a place in the sun. But whether it is politics,
industry or bollywood the old rule the roost. The young and the restless have
to wait for another day.

The Indian political scene has to be one of the most
depressing in the world. Both the ruling UPA and the opposition, be it the BJP
or the Left are stacked with old timers who should be sitting at home watching
television and sipping tea with Marie biscuits. I respect Dr Manmohan Singh for
his invaluable contribution to the country but now the time has come when he
should go. And so it is with the Advani’s and the Prakash Karat’s in the
parallel universe of Indian politics.

What is it that makes old men so reluctant to leave
positions of power? The question answers the dilemma. When they secure
positions of importance they use these positions for longevity of life, the
trappings of power and the perpetuation of status quo. Their entire energy or
what remains of it is spent in these pursuits and the time to focus on running
the country with clarity, determination and of course energy becomes a distant
priority.

Remember the late PM, V.P. Singh? The so called Rajah who
became a fakir spent the last few years of his life bleeding the country with
completely free dialysis treatment in the most expensive hospitals. The
question that needs to be asked is that should a five year term in office
entitle old, sick men to bleed the country in perpetuity?

But why complain about the politicians alone? Look how the
beginnings of old age have impacted our ageing superstars in bollywood. Most of
them are heading towards the 50 mark, despite the denials, and the attempt to
romance heroines one third their real age, engage in brawls and strut around in
transplanted hair and God knows what else, underscores the fact that they just
cannot handle old age.

No one is advocating that with growing years one has to
slide into anonymity. But there is a dignity that comes with growing old. And
if we violate that, then well, the only legacy that these old men would leave
behind would be - that he came, he saw, he sat and sat and sat on that chair
till finally he was thrown out kicking and screaming!

Tuesday, 5 June 2012

Thank you Kavita Bagga for posting on Facebook a delectable
picture of a tandoori crab you ate at Gazalee. Sonu, Karan and I were so taken
in by the picture that we all decided, one month after my book’s release, to
have a quiet family celebratory dinner at Gazalee. We opened a bottle of Dom Perignon
champagne, drank ourselves silly and nearly came around to throwing our flute
glasses behind our backs as they once used to do in Czarist Russia. The joy and
coziness of a family rejoicing in each other’s successes and achievements is
one of the understated but high points in anyone’s life.

Sociologists often highlight the excesses and unsavory
undercurrents in a family set up but I wish that there would be more talk of
how big or small families come together whether in times of happiness or
sorrow. This feeling is like no other in the world and the sense of tuning in and
then being completely absorbed in the other’s emotional state of being is a
feeling like no other. In a world that is shot with strife and chaos the sheer
joy of knowing someone completely believes in you is like ballast that keeps a
ship afloat.

At a time like this when a family comes together, the mind
overreaches beyond the tight circle of joy and wonders at who all stood by you
and those also who failed you in your personal journey or in your quest to
achieve something new. And as always it is the strangers, the completely
unknown entity, who bowls you over with the love and support he or she offers
for your endeavors’ in life. They say you can choose your friends but not your
relatives. But once you have chosen them how many of them stand by you either
in your hour of need or when you have every reason to celebrate and enjoy.

One thing I have learnt in my quest and journey as a writer.
There are many who will laugh and drink and make merry with you when you set
sail but how many of them will stand by your side when the waves start rising
is an answer blowing in the wind.